Deep Fried Banana

Visiting the sunday market in Chiang Mai gave us several insights into Thai life. Thai stall holders find tourists who try to barter really funny. They seem genuinely tickled as they chuckle conspiratorially with their neighbour, as if to say, 'they think it's a bargain because they've knocked off 20 baht...don't they know that's only 50p!'

The thai snack of deep fried battered banana slices is really tasty, so good that even the imploring eyes of the street dogs couldn't come between Joss and her last piece. The other treats we tried were good too.

It's frighteningly easy to pick up a lady boy for the night. They totter up and down the market streets blowing kisses. (A leaflet in our hotel room warned about the penalties for having sex with someone under the age of fifteen so we assume that's pretty common too.) A quick search for common Thai phrases online, in order that we could mind our p's and q's, came up with several variations of 'Are you a woman?'. A phrase that could get you in to or out of many a tricky situation.

A night out including dinner, drinks, a bit of shopping and a tuk tuk or taxi home costs about fifteen quid for two. Bargain!

Joss